The grade twelve ISU has definitely been challenging, but captivating at the same time. One of the greatest skills I feel I have honed from this project is the ability and keenness to analyze literature much more critically. Having been pushed to dig deep into a text, and pull out significant moments, quotations, symbols, motifs, themes and characters, I believe I understand Lam’s intentions with Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures much better. Truly, I feel that applying a critical knowledge to any art form, whether it be film, radio, television, theatre, art or literature, furthers the comprehension of the medium, which in turn allows for complete enjoyment. Having continued to read after this project, I find myself examining texts much more closely, with the intent of unearthing the ‘core’ of its intent.
Reading a work that has mastered both the technicalities of writing and the complexities of good story telling, I do feel that I have become a much better writer myself. A profound impact from reading a great novel inspires you to adapt their writing styles and themes into your own. As a young writer who is pursuing writing in many forms, I am ecstatic to have gained great insight into the art of story telling, and I hope that Lam’s riveting words will influence my future writing endeavours, both academically and leisurely.
Writing the apologia helped me define what I perceive to be the Canadian identity. To me, I feel that it is about embracing that which is distinctly Canada (like winter, for example) as opposed to rejecting it. It is accepting a huge variety of cultures, races, occupations, and ultimately, life paths. In terms of discovering the Canadian influence in other texts, I feel that Lam has taught me that it will not always be direct, or stereotypical. Exploring a culture’s identity takes a much more subtle approach, and it is often interwoven into the core of the text, and used to accent the author’s heritage.
Above all else, Vincent Lam has given me vast (probably too much!) insight into the human condition. If there is one idea that I am grateful Lam exposed for me, it is the fact that there isn’t an answer to everything. The explication helped me discover that life itself is an enigma, and try as I may to crack the code to the “meaning of life,” the result is simply inevitable confusion (and possible insanity, as in the case with Sri).
Overall, I found the experience of reading, and analyzing Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures a complete joy, and I am happy to have gotten the opportunity to explore both creative and analytical writing in the unique and up-and-coming medium of blogs.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Works Cited
Baetz, Joel and Stephanie Nixon. “Review of Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam.” Philosophy, Ethics and Humanities in Medicine. BioMed Central Ltd. 15 July 2007. Web. 24 October 2009.
CBC Arts. “Toronto’s Vincent Lam wins Giller Prize.” CBCNews.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 08 November 2006. Web. 21 October 2009.
CBC News. “Vincent Lam shortlisted for U.S. Story Prize.” CBCNews.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 09 January 2008. Web. 23 October 2009.
CTV.ca News Staff. “Giller Prize Nominees Bio: Vincent Lam.” CTV.ca. CTV Incorporated. 06 November 2006. Web. 21 October 2009.
Fillon, Kate. “Interview with Vincent Lam, doctor and Giller winner.” Macleans. Rogers Publishing Limited. 20 November 2006. Web. 22 October 2009.
Frenette, Brad. “Vincent Lam’s ‘Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures’ to be made into TV series.” The Ampersand. The National Post. 08 June 2009. Web. 23 October 2009.
Hughes, Evan. “Doctors in Distress.” NYTimes.com. The New York Times. 28 October 2007. Web. 22 October 2009.
Lam, Vincent. Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures. Canada: Random House of Canada Limited, 2005. Print.
McBride, Jason. "Q&A: Vincent Lam." TorontoLife.com. Toronto Life Publishing Limited. March 2006. Web. 21 October 2009.
Mukherjee, Neel. “Medical Breakthrough.” Time.com. Time Incorporated. 21 August 2008. Web. 23 October 2009.
CBC Arts. “Toronto’s Vincent Lam wins Giller Prize.” CBCNews.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 08 November 2006. Web. 21 October 2009.
CBC News. “Vincent Lam shortlisted for U.S. Story Prize.” CBCNews.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 09 January 2008. Web. 23 October 2009.
CTV.ca News Staff. “Giller Prize Nominees Bio: Vincent Lam.” CTV.ca. CTV Incorporated. 06 November 2006. Web. 21 October 2009.
Fillon, Kate. “Interview with Vincent Lam, doctor and Giller winner.” Macleans. Rogers Publishing Limited. 20 November 2006. Web. 22 October 2009.
Frenette, Brad. “Vincent Lam’s ‘Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures’ to be made into TV series.” The Ampersand. The National Post. 08 June 2009. Web. 23 October 2009.
Hughes, Evan. “Doctors in Distress.” NYTimes.com. The New York Times. 28 October 2007. Web. 22 October 2009.
Lam, Vincent. Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures. Canada: Random House of Canada Limited, 2005. Print.
McBride, Jason. "Q&A: Vincent Lam." TorontoLife.com. Toronto Life Publishing Limited. March 2006. Web. 21 October 2009.
Mukherjee, Neel. “Medical Breakthrough.” Time.com. Time Incorporated. 21 August 2008. Web. 23 October 2009.
An Apologia of Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam - A Canadian Gem
At the emergence of his literary career, Dr. Vincent Lam has without question already made a name for himself in the canon of Canadian literature. His first book Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures, a collection of twelve short stories, has been critically and publicly acclaimed not only in Canada, but internationally as well. Each individual story exudes a personal quality which transcends fiction, and tells truths from real life in the Canadian milieu. His work is, “a steady accumulation of truths” (Hughes). In numerous interviews, Lam has stated that there is a strong connection between his professional and personal experiences and the novel, noting that, “being a writer makes me listen for a story” (Fillon). Indeed, there are many parallels between the life of Vincent Lam, a Canadian of Chinese descent, and the characters in the book. Lam acknowledged that, “There’s one story that’s autobiographical, called “A Long Migration”” (McBride). The characters in the story not only reflect Lam’s own struggles to get accepted into medical school, but also address the cultural and racial issues faced by a minority in Canadian society. “All of them experienced things I’ve experienced emotionally,” he said (McBride). “Like all great fiction, [Bloodletting] is both the absolute truth and a vehicle for taking us to a place we’ve never been before” (Mukherjee). This great layering of complexities evinces the exceptional quality of Lam’s work, and his vast insight into the human intellect, the mental condition, social norms and the Canadian mind.
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures presents universal themes and ideals while Lam artfully addresses issues of ethics and morals that are pertinent to all societies and cultures. However, the book has a keen aversion to the Canadian identity, explored specifically through distinctly Canadian geography. On the very first page Lam establishes a Canadian context with a truly Canadian event - winter. Immediately he notes the vast Ontario snowbanks and snowstorms and the perpetual dripping noses that come with the tundra. As well as this, Lam integrates obvious Canadian locales such as the University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto, coupled with Torontonian slang and streets to establish a candid Canada. Finally, the topic of the novel, medicine, provides a subject for the novel in an industry in which Canada is internationally known and acclaimed for.
Much like Canada’s acclaimed medical industry, Vincent Lam too has become acclaimed, but in a different industry - literature. Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures brought forward immense accolades from critics. Time Magazine hailed “Lam’s insanely gripping book is also illuminated by shafts of radiant, beautiful prose” (Mukherjee). Canadian literary icon and famed author Margaret Atwood wrote on Bloodletting, “It has something - and that something is authenticity and drama and a feel of gritty real life” (CBC Arts). Fiction and non-fiction work of Lam’s has also been published in The Globe and Mail, the National Post, and the University of Toronto Medical Journal (CTV News). Lam gained even more international praise when he was shortlisted (one of three finalists) for The Story Prize in the United States in January, 2008 (CBC News). However, Lam’s greatest accomplishment was his surprise win of the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize, one of Canada’s highest literary honours (CBC Arts). Acknowledging the profound stories and success in Lam’s work, HBO Canada recently signed a deal to produce Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures into a television series, further exemplifying the impact Lam has had on numerous facets of the Canadian culture (Frenette).
Lam best relates his occupation and literature when he states: “What happens to you, as a doctor, is that someone comes to you and tells you the beginning of the story. What they’re hoping you’ll do is tell them the end of the story.” (McBride). Indeed, Lam has succeeded in the art of story telling, as his Giller Prize win is a testimony to that fact. Undoubtedly, Lam has made a strong contribution to Canadian literature, and he remains in the spotlight as the nation awaits the release of his next upcoming novel. Lam has used the occupation of physicians as a conveyance for telling a tale of life, love, perseverance, regret, hope and inevitably, death. Everyone in Canada has access to medicine, and the vast majority have been to a doctor in their lifetime, but most simply acknowledge ‘the doctor’ as a face, a healer, the one that makes them better. Lam humanizes his doctors by giving them a story worthy of an audience. For this reason alone, Lam is deserving of the magnitude of attention he is receiving for Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures.
“Few first books are fortunate enough to receive both high praise and big awards, but Vincent Lam’s Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures deserves the attention” (Baetz and Nixon). Time Magazine’s literature critic summed up the universal recommendation on Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures best in his review: “Read it” (Mukherjee).
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures presents universal themes and ideals while Lam artfully addresses issues of ethics and morals that are pertinent to all societies and cultures. However, the book has a keen aversion to the Canadian identity, explored specifically through distinctly Canadian geography. On the very first page Lam establishes a Canadian context with a truly Canadian event - winter. Immediately he notes the vast Ontario snowbanks and snowstorms and the perpetual dripping noses that come with the tundra. As well as this, Lam integrates obvious Canadian locales such as the University of Ottawa and the University of Toronto, coupled with Torontonian slang and streets to establish a candid Canada. Finally, the topic of the novel, medicine, provides a subject for the novel in an industry in which Canada is internationally known and acclaimed for.
Much like Canada’s acclaimed medical industry, Vincent Lam too has become acclaimed, but in a different industry - literature. Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures brought forward immense accolades from critics. Time Magazine hailed “Lam’s insanely gripping book is also illuminated by shafts of radiant, beautiful prose” (Mukherjee). Canadian literary icon and famed author Margaret Atwood wrote on Bloodletting, “It has something - and that something is authenticity and drama and a feel of gritty real life” (CBC Arts). Fiction and non-fiction work of Lam’s has also been published in The Globe and Mail, the National Post, and the University of Toronto Medical Journal (CTV News). Lam gained even more international praise when he was shortlisted (one of three finalists) for The Story Prize in the United States in January, 2008 (CBC News). However, Lam’s greatest accomplishment was his surprise win of the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize, one of Canada’s highest literary honours (CBC Arts). Acknowledging the profound stories and success in Lam’s work, HBO Canada recently signed a deal to produce Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures into a television series, further exemplifying the impact Lam has had on numerous facets of the Canadian culture (Frenette).
Lam best relates his occupation and literature when he states: “What happens to you, as a doctor, is that someone comes to you and tells you the beginning of the story. What they’re hoping you’ll do is tell them the end of the story.” (McBride). Indeed, Lam has succeeded in the art of story telling, as his Giller Prize win is a testimony to that fact. Undoubtedly, Lam has made a strong contribution to Canadian literature, and he remains in the spotlight as the nation awaits the release of his next upcoming novel. Lam has used the occupation of physicians as a conveyance for telling a tale of life, love, perseverance, regret, hope and inevitably, death. Everyone in Canada has access to medicine, and the vast majority have been to a doctor in their lifetime, but most simply acknowledge ‘the doctor’ as a face, a healer, the one that makes them better. Lam humanizes his doctors by giving them a story worthy of an audience. For this reason alone, Lam is deserving of the magnitude of attention he is receiving for Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures.
“Few first books are fortunate enough to receive both high praise and big awards, but Vincent Lam’s Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures deserves the attention” (Baetz and Nixon). Time Magazine’s literature critic summed up the universal recommendation on Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures best in his review: “Read it” (Mukherjee).
Explication of "The Enigma" in Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam
Of Polti’s Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations, “The Enigma” is most prevalent in Dr. Vincent Lam’s Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures, specifically in the characterization of two of his protagonists: Fitz and Sri. Throughout the book, the characters continually discover unique and distinct versions of their ‘self,’ with each disposition being exposed from different situations; romance, ethics, life and death. By piecing together the fragments and clues left within the twelve short stories, the reader can begin to uncover the puzzle that is the life of a doctor. Fitz and Sri are the quintessential example of Polti’s “Enigma” as they each become “The Interrogator” of their actions, thoughts, motives and decisions, all the while “Seeking” to find answers to the “Problems” within their lives, and profession.
“The Enigma” is poignantly portrayed in the short story “Winston.” Sri is offered temptations along his path to discovering his name. Throughout the story, he seeks to discover his purpose as a physician, and ultimately, the purpose of his life. The character of Sri is presented as profoundly logical, rational and stable, but in the midst of the character of Winston, he begins to interrogate himself by questioning the foundation of reason on which he has based his existence. Lam is able to seamlessly weave together the abstractions of cognition, truth, and perception to artfully present Sri and Winston as both real and unreal, and expose one of the book’s most inexplicable enigmas. This is epitomized in one of the novel’s many profound quotations, “You’ve heard that the sound of hoofbeats implies the presence of horses. It is true that we must look carefully for zebras, but for the most part we expect to find horses . . . Always, people are drawn to zebras” (Lam 125-126). Herein Lam has placed the paradox all doctors must face: can symptoms, “facts,” lie? The purple bird in “Winston” further symbolizes the enigmatic question that things are not always what they seem, and becomes one of the problems Sri must traumatically face as he ponders what to believe.
Lam has mastered and exploited the greatest enigma of mankind: the unknown. Mirroring the confusion presented within Sri, Lam further develops the concept within Fitzgerald. In “Eli,” Lam notes the contrast between blood and salvia, stating that, “Saliva, clear and innocent, but sometimes it carries infections and curses like the words it lubricates” (Lam 181). Similar to this, “Blood bears the curse of human malice. This life fluid may conceal destruction, the way words and thoughts can kill unseen. Within blood the idea of death can flow” (Lam 179). Much like in “Winston,” Lam is again presenting humans’ desperate seeking of the answer to the enigma that is the uncertain. In this torment, one must question the realms of reality, and ultimately, convinces them self that what they perceive is true. This idea reflects the life of Fitzgerald. The entire existence of Fitz in itself is perplexing, and portrays a constant struggle between what he wants, and what is real. As he slowly descends from hopeless romantic, to desperate lover, to abusive doctor, to alcoholic, and finally, to deathbed, Fitz is constantly, albeit contradictorily, searching for a solution to each of his respective problems. Inspired by is love of Ming, he interrogates himself to inspire a change in his self-destructive ways. However, it is only in the pain of death that he acknowledges the faults of his subconscious, and ultimately, accepts an eerily statisfying lack of closure as he succumbs to SARS, a disease in which he, a healer, paradoxically brought to Canada.
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures is one large puzzle with each story representing bits and pieces. It is the task of the reader to link these fragments in hopes of ascertaining the true meaning of Lam’s words, and finding an answer to the overwhelming enigma presented. Lam amplifies the challenge of his riddle with an evident equivocation throughout the book, exemplified in the opening quotation, “Medicine is a science of uncertainty, and an art of probability - Sir William Osler” (Lam Prologue). This idea of ambiguity is paralleled at the end of the collection in “Before Light” when Chen states, “I feel a beautiful alertness, as if the sorrow and calm and joy and exploding furious vengeance of the world have all settled into me and shown themselves to be the same. Yes, all of an identical essence, different reflections of one basic feeling, one notion, in the way that water is at once an iceberg, the surf, a cloud” (Lam 336-337). Ending the novel with one big, insurmountable, beautiful enigma sums up the stories, and the concept that an emotion has many undefinable facets that blend as one masterful metacognition.
“The Enigma” is poignantly portrayed in the short story “Winston.” Sri is offered temptations along his path to discovering his name. Throughout the story, he seeks to discover his purpose as a physician, and ultimately, the purpose of his life. The character of Sri is presented as profoundly logical, rational and stable, but in the midst of the character of Winston, he begins to interrogate himself by questioning the foundation of reason on which he has based his existence. Lam is able to seamlessly weave together the abstractions of cognition, truth, and perception to artfully present Sri and Winston as both real and unreal, and expose one of the book’s most inexplicable enigmas. This is epitomized in one of the novel’s many profound quotations, “You’ve heard that the sound of hoofbeats implies the presence of horses. It is true that we must look carefully for zebras, but for the most part we expect to find horses . . . Always, people are drawn to zebras” (Lam 125-126). Herein Lam has placed the paradox all doctors must face: can symptoms, “facts,” lie? The purple bird in “Winston” further symbolizes the enigmatic question that things are not always what they seem, and becomes one of the problems Sri must traumatically face as he ponders what to believe.
Lam has mastered and exploited the greatest enigma of mankind: the unknown. Mirroring the confusion presented within Sri, Lam further develops the concept within Fitzgerald. In “Eli,” Lam notes the contrast between blood and salvia, stating that, “Saliva, clear and innocent, but sometimes it carries infections and curses like the words it lubricates” (Lam 181). Similar to this, “Blood bears the curse of human malice. This life fluid may conceal destruction, the way words and thoughts can kill unseen. Within blood the idea of death can flow” (Lam 179). Much like in “Winston,” Lam is again presenting humans’ desperate seeking of the answer to the enigma that is the uncertain. In this torment, one must question the realms of reality, and ultimately, convinces them self that what they perceive is true. This idea reflects the life of Fitzgerald. The entire existence of Fitz in itself is perplexing, and portrays a constant struggle between what he wants, and what is real. As he slowly descends from hopeless romantic, to desperate lover, to abusive doctor, to alcoholic, and finally, to deathbed, Fitz is constantly, albeit contradictorily, searching for a solution to each of his respective problems. Inspired by is love of Ming, he interrogates himself to inspire a change in his self-destructive ways. However, it is only in the pain of death that he acknowledges the faults of his subconscious, and ultimately, accepts an eerily statisfying lack of closure as he succumbs to SARS, a disease in which he, a healer, paradoxically brought to Canada.
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures is one large puzzle with each story representing bits and pieces. It is the task of the reader to link these fragments in hopes of ascertaining the true meaning of Lam’s words, and finding an answer to the overwhelming enigma presented. Lam amplifies the challenge of his riddle with an evident equivocation throughout the book, exemplified in the opening quotation, “Medicine is a science of uncertainty, and an art of probability - Sir William Osler” (Lam Prologue). This idea of ambiguity is paralleled at the end of the collection in “Before Light” when Chen states, “I feel a beautiful alertness, as if the sorrow and calm and joy and exploding furious vengeance of the world have all settled into me and shown themselves to be the same. Yes, all of an identical essence, different reflections of one basic feeling, one notion, in the way that water is at once an iceberg, the surf, a cloud” (Lam 336-337). Ending the novel with one big, insurmountable, beautiful enigma sums up the stories, and the concept that an emotion has many undefinable facets that blend as one masterful metacognition.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Apologia - Process
- Vincent Lam is clearly a successful Canadian author, as demonstrated through his Giller Prize win
- However, Lam is also respected internationally (see international reviews from Europe, Australia and the United States)
- Lam was nominated for an American short story prize (made the shortlist)
- Bloodletting touches on many universal themes, but portrays them in a fresh light
- Focuses on an industry that Canada is renowned for (medical)
- Distinctly Canadian settings and descriptions (Toronto streets, Canadian winters)
- “It has something - and that something is authenticity and drama and a feel of gritty real life.” - Margaret Atwood (CBC Arts)
- “Actually it does, because being a writer makes me listen for story. And if you can do that, you can get the diagnosis about 95 per cent of the time. But I'm probably more gifted as a writer. Being a diagnostician just requires a lot of work.” - Vincent Lam (Macleans)
- “Lam excels at this kind of steady accumulation of truths, a tangling of action and incident that renders judgment of the characters difficult, and futile besides.” (NY Times)
- “This is a rigorously balanced assessment of the achievements and limitations of modern medicine, as well as an atlas of suffering, survival and failure. Emotionally complex and layered, with a preternaturally surefooted negotiation of the human mind and heart, Lam's insanely gripping book is also illuminated by shafts of radiant, beautiful prose. Like all great fiction, it is both the absolute truth and a vehicle for taking us to a place we've never been before. Read it.” (Time Magazine)
- Lam is able to present all of his characters in different situations, which ultimately reveals different character traits. He possesses the ability to completely contradict an already perceived idea about a character simply by manipulating them into a different situation.
- Though educational, enlightening, heavy and heartbreaking, Lam has not forgotten that readers need to be entertained. Dispersed moments of comedy heighten the tone of the overall product, and allows the reader to continually engage with the text.
- Lam expresses masterful views on the mental condition, social norms, phycological ideas.
- Lam writes about what he knows - medicine. This creates a wholly honesty and convincing tale. Each character is a real person in the eyes of the reader, created only through vivid description, proving Lam’s mastery of the craft.
- Each of the stories are so vivid and articulate they become as real as our own lives.
- Lam unravels the inner workers of a doctor - someone we all come in contact with regularly, yet rarely contemplate the turmoil of their profession. Lam stops the reader from taking physicians for granted, and forces his audience to acknowledge them as more than just healers, but as people.
- Everyday life is molded into something far more astronomical. Lam heightens in seemingly unimportant moments we all experience and shines a light on their profound effects on who we are as people.
- Lam makes the ordinary extraordinary.
- This is his first book, yet he has already garnered much attention. It is clearly a sign of things to come.
- “Few first books are fortunate enough to receive both high praise and big awards, but Vincent Lam's Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures deserves the attention.” (PEHM)
- However, Lam is also respected internationally (see international reviews from Europe, Australia and the United States)
- Lam was nominated for an American short story prize (made the shortlist)
- Bloodletting touches on many universal themes, but portrays them in a fresh light
- Focuses on an industry that Canada is renowned for (medical)
- Distinctly Canadian settings and descriptions (Toronto streets, Canadian winters)
- “It has something - and that something is authenticity and drama and a feel of gritty real life.” - Margaret Atwood (CBC Arts)
- “Actually it does, because being a writer makes me listen for story. And if you can do that, you can get the diagnosis about 95 per cent of the time. But I'm probably more gifted as a writer. Being a diagnostician just requires a lot of work.” - Vincent Lam (Macleans)
- “Lam excels at this kind of steady accumulation of truths, a tangling of action and incident that renders judgment of the characters difficult, and futile besides.” (NY Times)
- “This is a rigorously balanced assessment of the achievements and limitations of modern medicine, as well as an atlas of suffering, survival and failure. Emotionally complex and layered, with a preternaturally surefooted negotiation of the human mind and heart, Lam's insanely gripping book is also illuminated by shafts of radiant, beautiful prose. Like all great fiction, it is both the absolute truth and a vehicle for taking us to a place we've never been before. Read it.” (Time Magazine)
- Lam is able to present all of his characters in different situations, which ultimately reveals different character traits. He possesses the ability to completely contradict an already perceived idea about a character simply by manipulating them into a different situation.
- Though educational, enlightening, heavy and heartbreaking, Lam has not forgotten that readers need to be entertained. Dispersed moments of comedy heighten the tone of the overall product, and allows the reader to continually engage with the text.
- Lam expresses masterful views on the mental condition, social norms, phycological ideas.
- Lam writes about what he knows - medicine. This creates a wholly honesty and convincing tale. Each character is a real person in the eyes of the reader, created only through vivid description, proving Lam’s mastery of the craft.
- Each of the stories are so vivid and articulate they become as real as our own lives.
- Lam unravels the inner workers of a doctor - someone we all come in contact with regularly, yet rarely contemplate the turmoil of their profession. Lam stops the reader from taking physicians for granted, and forces his audience to acknowledge them as more than just healers, but as people.
- Everyday life is molded into something far more astronomical. Lam heightens in seemingly unimportant moments we all experience and shines a light on their profound effects on who we are as people.
- Lam makes the ordinary extraordinary.
- This is his first book, yet he has already garnered much attention. It is clearly a sign of things to come.
- “Few first books are fortunate enough to receive both high praise and big awards, but Vincent Lam's Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures deserves the attention.” (PEHM)
Explication - Process
“The Enigma”
Elements: Problem, Interrogator, Seeker
Enigma: A person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand (see riddle or paradox)
Problem: A matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome; a thing that is difficult to achieve or accomplish (a problem exists when an individual notices the difference between what is and what ought to be)
Interrogator: A person who asks questions of someone closely, aggressively, or formally; a person who poses a problem
Seeker: A person who attempts or desires to obtain or achieve something
- Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures is one large puzzle with each story representing a piece or pieces. These pieces or fragments must be pieced together by the reader to solve the puzzle, or enigma.
- Each of the four main characters (Fitz, Chen, Ming and Sri) are Seekers. However, at the same time, they are all their own Interrogator (with some overlap).
- The Problem varies for each character. However, each character faces the problem of regret and being unsure. They all questions their choices in life, and struggle to find answers to matters of life and death. Ultimately, the four doctors are each on an individual quest to unveil how to continue life after death.
Common Ideas in “The Engima”
1) Search for a person who must be found on pain of death
2) A riddle to be solved on pain of death
3) A riddle to be solved on pain of death in which the poser is the coveted woman
- Indeed, these ideas hold true in Bloodletting. In the beginning, Fitz desperately searches for Ming. At the time however, it is not clear that she will become the coveted woman for Chen as well. Both Chen and Fitz face a riddle to be solved on pain of death in which the poser is the coveted woman. Chen and Fitz fight for the love of Ming, and are forced to meet her desires. However, only Chen succeeds (and ultimately marries Ming). Fitz, having lost a on pain of death, succumbs to SARS. The irony is that neither man realizes that each of these factors has been on the pain of death.
4) Temptations offered with the object of discovering his name
- Sri best fits this idea, most notably in “Winston.” He desires to discoverer his purpose in life, and his purpose as a physician. However, he is tempted by ideas of insanity, confusion, and reality.
5) Temptations offered with the object of ascertaining the sex
- Ming would best represent this idea. Throughout the book, different layers of Ming are revealed, and she quests to find her position are a female doctor. This also reflects her promiscuity with her cousin, Karl, as well as Chen and Fitz.
6) Tests for the purposes of ascertaining the mental condition
- This is the big one. Each character faces many tests in the hopes of understanding them self.
The Reader: As the reader, I was immediately drawn into this enigma. I found myself like a detective, trying to pick up on clues and hints that would help complete the picture. As the novel progressed, more and more pieces were added, and it became much more difficult to solve the puzzle. However, it was this effect that engrossed me further and further into the novel. “The Enigma” is designed to draw the reader into the situation as they seek to understand the puzzle in hopes of the reward of closure. Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures does just that, however, it artfully tweaks “The Enigma’s” form by providing an eerily satisfying lack of closure.
Elements: Problem, Interrogator, Seeker
Enigma: A person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand (see riddle or paradox)
Problem: A matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome; a thing that is difficult to achieve or accomplish (a problem exists when an individual notices the difference between what is and what ought to be)
Interrogator: A person who asks questions of someone closely, aggressively, or formally; a person who poses a problem
Seeker: A person who attempts or desires to obtain or achieve something
- Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures is one large puzzle with each story representing a piece or pieces. These pieces or fragments must be pieced together by the reader to solve the puzzle, or enigma.
- Each of the four main characters (Fitz, Chen, Ming and Sri) are Seekers. However, at the same time, they are all their own Interrogator (with some overlap).
- The Problem varies for each character. However, each character faces the problem of regret and being unsure. They all questions their choices in life, and struggle to find answers to matters of life and death. Ultimately, the four doctors are each on an individual quest to unveil how to continue life after death.
Common Ideas in “The Engima”
1) Search for a person who must be found on pain of death
2) A riddle to be solved on pain of death
3) A riddle to be solved on pain of death in which the poser is the coveted woman
- Indeed, these ideas hold true in Bloodletting. In the beginning, Fitz desperately searches for Ming. At the time however, it is not clear that she will become the coveted woman for Chen as well. Both Chen and Fitz face a riddle to be solved on pain of death in which the poser is the coveted woman. Chen and Fitz fight for the love of Ming, and are forced to meet her desires. However, only Chen succeeds (and ultimately marries Ming). Fitz, having lost a on pain of death, succumbs to SARS. The irony is that neither man realizes that each of these factors has been on the pain of death.
4) Temptations offered with the object of discovering his name
- Sri best fits this idea, most notably in “Winston.” He desires to discoverer his purpose in life, and his purpose as a physician. However, he is tempted by ideas of insanity, confusion, and reality.
5) Temptations offered with the object of ascertaining the sex
- Ming would best represent this idea. Throughout the book, different layers of Ming are revealed, and she quests to find her position are a female doctor. This also reflects her promiscuity with her cousin, Karl, as well as Chen and Fitz.
6) Tests for the purposes of ascertaining the mental condition
- This is the big one. Each character faces many tests in the hopes of understanding them self.
The Reader: As the reader, I was immediately drawn into this enigma. I found myself like a detective, trying to pick up on clues and hints that would help complete the picture. As the novel progressed, more and more pieces were added, and it became much more difficult to solve the puzzle. However, it was this effect that engrossed me further and further into the novel. “The Enigma” is designed to draw the reader into the situation as they seek to understand the puzzle in hopes of the reward of closure. Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures does just that, however, it artfully tweaks “The Enigma’s” form by providing an eerily satisfying lack of closure.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Links & Welcome
Very effective, Max. You're building an excellent links list. At this stage, can you name the significance of Lam's work in the Welcome? Very attractive blog layout.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Welcome!
Hello! Welcome to my blog for the ENG4U ISU. Through this weblog, I will be analyzing the first major work of Canadian author Doctor Vincent Lam: Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures. It is my intention to conduct an extensive examination of style, theme and purpose in Lam’s writing, as well as discover his ideas on the Canadian identity. By doing so, I hope to establish Vincent Lam’s significance as a Canadian author, and unveil Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures contribution to the canon of Canadian literature.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Links List
Baetz, Joel and Stephanie Nixon. “Review of Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam.” Philosophy, Ethics and Humanities in Medicine. BioMed Central Ltd. 15 July 2007. Web. 24 October 2009.
“Canadian Literature.” EncartaMSN.com. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2009. Web. 21 October 2009.
CBC Arts. “Toronto’s Vincent Lam wins Giller Prize.” CBCNews.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 08 November 2006. Web. 21 October 2009.
CBC News. “Vincent Lam shortlisted for U.S. Story Prize.” CBCNews.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 09 January 2008. Web. 23 October 2009.
CTV.ca News Staff. “Giller Prize Nominees Bio: Vincent Lam.” CTV.ca. CTV Incorporated. 06 November 2006. Web. 21 October 2009.
Fillon, Kate. “Interview with Vincent Lam, doctor and Giller winner.” Macleans. Rogers Publishing Limited. 20 November 2006. Web. 22 October 2009.
“Four Hot Authors for Fall.” EW.com. Entertainment Weekly. 12 September 2009. Web 23 October 2009.
Frenette, Brad. “Vincent Lam’s ‘Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures’ to be made into TV series.” The Ampersand. The National Post. 08 June 2009. Web. 23 October 2009.
Hughes, Evan. “Doctors in Distress.” NYTimes.com. The New York Times. 28 October 2007. Web. 22 October 2009.
“Lam, Vincent.” Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database. New York University. 2009. Web. 21 October 2009.
McBride, Jason. "Q&A: Vincent Lam." TorontoLife.com. Toronto Life Publishing Limited. March 2006. Web. 21 October 2009.
Mukherjee, Neel. “Medical Breakthrough.” Time.com. Time Incorporated. 21 August 2008. Web. 23 October 2009.
N., Maria. “Doctors in Distress.” CanLit.ca. Canadian Literature. 2007. Web. 23 October 2009.
Toronto. Toronto.ca, 2009. Web. 23 October 2009.
“Vincent Lam.” RandomHouse.ca. Random House of Canada Limited. 2009. Web. 21 October 2009.
Vincent Lam | Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures. VincentLam.ca, 2009. Web. 21 October 2009.
“Canadian Literature.” EncartaMSN.com. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2009. Web. 21 October 2009.
CBC Arts. “Toronto’s Vincent Lam wins Giller Prize.” CBCNews.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 08 November 2006. Web. 21 October 2009.
CBC News. “Vincent Lam shortlisted for U.S. Story Prize.” CBCNews.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 09 January 2008. Web. 23 October 2009.
CTV.ca News Staff. “Giller Prize Nominees Bio: Vincent Lam.” CTV.ca. CTV Incorporated. 06 November 2006. Web. 21 October 2009.
Fillon, Kate. “Interview with Vincent Lam, doctor and Giller winner.” Macleans. Rogers Publishing Limited. 20 November 2006. Web. 22 October 2009.
“Four Hot Authors for Fall.” EW.com. Entertainment Weekly. 12 September 2009. Web 23 October 2009.
Frenette, Brad. “Vincent Lam’s ‘Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures’ to be made into TV series.” The Ampersand. The National Post. 08 June 2009. Web. 23 October 2009.
Hughes, Evan. “Doctors in Distress.” NYTimes.com. The New York Times. 28 October 2007. Web. 22 October 2009.
“Lam, Vincent.” Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database. New York University. 2009. Web. 21 October 2009.
McBride, Jason. "Q&A: Vincent Lam." TorontoLife.com. Toronto Life Publishing Limited. March 2006. Web. 21 October 2009.
Mukherjee, Neel. “Medical Breakthrough.” Time.com. Time Incorporated. 21 August 2008. Web. 23 October 2009.
N., Maria. “Doctors in Distress.” CanLit.ca. Canadian Literature. 2007. Web. 23 October 2009.
Toronto. Toronto.ca, 2009. Web. 23 October 2009.
“Vincent Lam.” RandomHouse.ca. Random House of Canada Limited. 2009. Web. 21 October 2009.
Vincent Lam | Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures. VincentLam.ca, 2009. Web. 21 October 2009.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Reading Response #4
The final three stories of Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam are heavily interconnected, and focus on the lives of Dr. Fitzgerald and Dr. Chen. Night Flight fast forwards in Fitz’s life, where he now works as part of a transport team to bring patients from foreign locations back to Canada. In this particular episode, he is to transport a stroke patient from Guatemala to Toronto. After hours of traveling, Fitz realizes that it was all in vain. The conditions of the Guatemalan hospital were subpar at best, and Fitz notes, “We do not say it directly, but we talk around the regret of a lost opportunity: the narrow time frame in which an expanding death in the form of a bloody intracranial expansion can perhaps be drained, can sometimes be sucked out like an evil spirit to leave the scintillating brain intact” (246). Ironically, the team still frantically rushes to the airport. On the plane, the patient dies. Still, Fitz performs resuscitation (again, in vain) in hopes of comforting the patient’s wife. Accepting the death of her husband, Mrs. Amiel asks if this would have happened at a Canadian hospital. Again to protect Mrs. Amiel, “with the greatest tenderness I have within me, I lie” (262). Fitz tells the woman that it would have been the same in Toronto. “Lies are about belief, about a reality suspended because we want to believe the lie” (262). Lam raises more questions of ethics. Fitzgerald has already been shown defying the medical oath (in Eli) and is doing so again in Night Flight. Still, is the comfort of a white lie more ethical than the pain of the truth? Fitzgerald supplies an answer to this question later on in the story, when he and the rest of the transport crew are playing a parlor game at the hotel. When asked if he would want to know if his wife cheated on him, his answer is no. However, he contrasts this idea by stating that if he were the one to cheat, he would tell his wife. This entire scenario makes Fitzgerald out to be quite callous. However, one could also recognize the character as sympathetic. These consistent contrasting ideas about Fitz lead the reader to question his role as a doctor, and I am left wondering if medicine is the profession for him.
Contact Tracing, the penultimate story, is extremely powerful. I found myself heavily engrossed in the story, as I could relate to the SARS pandemic. Immediately I remembered the heightened fear of society, and even now can equate the situation to the current Swine Flu outbreak. It is in this story that I fully realize how realistic the characters Lam has constructed truly are. Faced with the prospect of losing the characters I have become so attached to through Lam’s beautiful writing, I read on fearful for their fate, and hoping as if they were my own friends that they survive. Contact Tracing portrays the risks in which doctors and nurses face to save others. However, the story also illustrates camaraderie and sacrifice. The now alcoholic Fitz, whose condition is worsening everyday, demands to sign a DNR it avoid giving SARS to his friends who would try to save him. He is willing to sacrifice himself, and tells Chen, “It’s not so bad, if we die with only a few hundred others, we’ll be SARS martyrs. If thousands get it but they find a cure and our deaths help, then it’s worthwhile. If this thing just goes wild and the whole world dies by the millions, then we’ll miss the worst of it. See? Can’t lose” (296). It is also ironic that throughout this passage, Fitz and Ming bond. The two men, who were once rivals in love (for Ming), are now partners in death. Spotlight is also given to a new character in this passage, Dolores, a nurse who was randomly selected to work in the SARS unit. Her character fully demonstrates the paranoia of the public. Her daycare refuses to take her children, and Dolores herself begins to crack. While in line, she is convinced that she has contracted the disease - feeling hot and coughing. When she rushes home, her temperature is normal. This focus reinforced the strong respect I have for doctors and nurses. Physical risks aside, working with peoples’ lives bares a strong psychological burden - medical workers are able to look past this, and save the lives of others.
The ending of Contact Tracing provides closure on the Fitz/Ming/Chen love triangle. In an excerpt from a fictitious CBC news report, it is described that Dr. Fitzgerald went into respiratory distress while in quarantine. Dr. Chen broke the glass between their rooms to rush in, in an attempt to save Fitz’s life. Claiming, “In a critical situation, it takes too long to put on the SARS gear; and people die in the delay, but I’ve already got SARS, so I don’t need the protection” (305). Seeing the lengths in which Chen went to save Fitz’s life provides comfort, knowing the two became could friends, and that all three of them were happy. This makes it easier to accept the fact that Fitz has (albeit implicitly) passed.
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures ends with a satisfying lack of closure. Before Light is simply a day in the life of Chen as he works the night shift in the emergency room. He treats many patients, serious and simple. The passage gives insight into the life of doctors. Though there will often be extreme situations, for the most part, physicians’ day-to-day pattern is formulaic. For the average human, death is this large, insurmountable thing that strikes us few times in our lives, but holds immense impact. For doctors, death is a part of life - an everyday fact. Before Light gives one message, the strong paradox that has been an underlying theme throughout the stories - life goes on, even after death.
Contact Tracing, the penultimate story, is extremely powerful. I found myself heavily engrossed in the story, as I could relate to the SARS pandemic. Immediately I remembered the heightened fear of society, and even now can equate the situation to the current Swine Flu outbreak. It is in this story that I fully realize how realistic the characters Lam has constructed truly are. Faced with the prospect of losing the characters I have become so attached to through Lam’s beautiful writing, I read on fearful for their fate, and hoping as if they were my own friends that they survive. Contact Tracing portrays the risks in which doctors and nurses face to save others. However, the story also illustrates camaraderie and sacrifice. The now alcoholic Fitz, whose condition is worsening everyday, demands to sign a DNR it avoid giving SARS to his friends who would try to save him. He is willing to sacrifice himself, and tells Chen, “It’s not so bad, if we die with only a few hundred others, we’ll be SARS martyrs. If thousands get it but they find a cure and our deaths help, then it’s worthwhile. If this thing just goes wild and the whole world dies by the millions, then we’ll miss the worst of it. See? Can’t lose” (296). It is also ironic that throughout this passage, Fitz and Ming bond. The two men, who were once rivals in love (for Ming), are now partners in death. Spotlight is also given to a new character in this passage, Dolores, a nurse who was randomly selected to work in the SARS unit. Her character fully demonstrates the paranoia of the public. Her daycare refuses to take her children, and Dolores herself begins to crack. While in line, she is convinced that she has contracted the disease - feeling hot and coughing. When she rushes home, her temperature is normal. This focus reinforced the strong respect I have for doctors and nurses. Physical risks aside, working with peoples’ lives bares a strong psychological burden - medical workers are able to look past this, and save the lives of others.
The ending of Contact Tracing provides closure on the Fitz/Ming/Chen love triangle. In an excerpt from a fictitious CBC news report, it is described that Dr. Fitzgerald went into respiratory distress while in quarantine. Dr. Chen broke the glass between their rooms to rush in, in an attempt to save Fitz’s life. Claiming, “In a critical situation, it takes too long to put on the SARS gear; and people die in the delay, but I’ve already got SARS, so I don’t need the protection” (305). Seeing the lengths in which Chen went to save Fitz’s life provides comfort, knowing the two became could friends, and that all three of them were happy. This makes it easier to accept the fact that Fitz has (albeit implicitly) passed.
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures ends with a satisfying lack of closure. Before Light is simply a day in the life of Chen as he works the night shift in the emergency room. He treats many patients, serious and simple. The passage gives insight into the life of doctors. Though there will often be extreme situations, for the most part, physicians’ day-to-day pattern is formulaic. For the average human, death is this large, insurmountable thing that strikes us few times in our lives, but holds immense impact. For doctors, death is a part of life - an everyday fact. Before Light gives one message, the strong paradox that has been an underlying theme throughout the stories - life goes on, even after death.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Reading Response #3
As I continue reading Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam, I am becoming even more engrossed in his vivid and engaging short stories. The seventh in the set, entitled Eli, heavily explores the theme of deception. At the same time, Lam has also incorporated elements that show the risks doctors face every day while trying to save others. Eli centers around Dr. Fitzgerald as he treats a patient (Eli) who has been brought in by police officers. Though the officers claim Eli simply fell while in custody, the patient argues that it was the police themselves who brutalized him. Regardless, Fitz reluctantly treats Eli. Through this, Lam again demonstrates the conflict of interest doctors face with patients, and how they judge them. In conjunction with the unjust police officers, Fitzgerald is not morally opposed to brutalizing Eli himself, and even goes as far as stapling his wound shut, acknowledging that, “we use the pain of this spot [the forehead] to wake the comatose” (178). Lam has questioned the ethics of doctors. Though they are under oath to treat all patients equally, it is being implied that no physicians do. Again, Lam is forcing the reader to question their own morals, and insinuates the question, ‘Does Eli deserve such treatment?’ This mistreatment also includes the deceit theme, as mentioned above. Fitzgerald, as a doctor, is being deceitful. Though the job of doctors is to heal, Fitz is hurting. The same idea is mirrored when Eli bites Fitz. Immediately, Fitzgerald’s thoughts are of disease, of what could be festering in Eli’s saliva. “Saliva, clear and innocent, but sometimes it carries infections and curses like the words it lubricates” (181). It is here that Lam presents one of the most profound lines of the novel: “Blood bears the curse of human malice. This life fluid may conceal destruction, the way words and thoughts can kill unseen. Within blood the idea of death can flow” (179) Both of these human fluids, blood and salvia, act as innovative metaphors for one of man’s most common traits - duplicity.
Afterwards exhibits the complex idea that even in death, human beings are still able to hurt another. Continuing the theme of deception, this short story tells the tale of a woman whose husband died from a heart attack at an undercover brothel. Only after the man’s death does his wife figure out the circumstances of his passing. Mrs. Wilhelm is heartbroken and enraged to discover that her loved one had been lying to her. The pain of this mistrust stings more than the pain of Mr. Wilhelm’s death, and the shame associated with it will tear away at the family. This creates guilty thoughts for Mrs. Wilhelm. She would wish her husband alive, not to have him back, but to berate him about his adultery. Instead, she takes out her anger on the hooker, Cynthia, and other clients. Ironically, however, while Mrs. Wilhelm is forced to live on in humiliation, Lam shows the contrasting idea that her husband died in ecstasy. It is through this comparison that the reader can fully comprehend Lam’s intention with this piece; for the dead, it’s over, but it is the living that are subjected to continued pain of the heart.
The next story, An Insistent Tide, gives insight into the often taken-for-granted act of childbirth. Lam presents the seemingly simplistic and common act of labour as complicated, challenging, and realistic, contrary to the conceptions of society. Janice’s husband Oliver gets to experience how ‘ignorance is bliss.’ Lam continually places phone calls from Oliver through the passage, where he asks about unimportant things like video cameras, and if he should pick up Janice’s baby books at the house (when he arrives in Toronto, by car, from New York). Oliver has no comprehension of the magnitude of Janice’s prospective caesarian section, and therefore, is joyously content to putter onward to Toronto. Janice on the other hand, is facing some of the most blood-curdling challenges of her life. Janice balances between her real life, and a dream state, where a tide is slowly swallowing her whole. The tide reflects Janice’s contractions, the female’s natural and normal prelude to birth, however in this crucial case they could bring on the death of both mother and child. In the dream world, the drowning of Janice, and in the real world, the suffocation of her baby. Faced with the prospect of losing her child, Janice makes the brave, or somewhat rash, decision to have the caesarian done with no anesthetic. Just as Janice realizes “the waves are going to crash over me, drown me. Why can’t I move?” (232) she is saved by Dr. Ming when the procedure ends, and she “turned, and glimpsed the exultant blood-smeared child” (233). The reader is left with great relief knowing that both Janice and her baby survived. Still, the reader is also haunted by Lam’s gory and evocative description of child birth.
The other interesting point about An Insistent Tide is that it brings Ming back into focus. For some time now, she has been ignored in the novel. Though this story does not give much insight into her character, we see her working well with patients (contrary to her previous tart portrayal), and learn that she is now an obstetrician. This gives me the idea that the last three stories will provide closure on the connected lives of Ming, Fitzgerald and Chen.
Afterwards exhibits the complex idea that even in death, human beings are still able to hurt another. Continuing the theme of deception, this short story tells the tale of a woman whose husband died from a heart attack at an undercover brothel. Only after the man’s death does his wife figure out the circumstances of his passing. Mrs. Wilhelm is heartbroken and enraged to discover that her loved one had been lying to her. The pain of this mistrust stings more than the pain of Mr. Wilhelm’s death, and the shame associated with it will tear away at the family. This creates guilty thoughts for Mrs. Wilhelm. She would wish her husband alive, not to have him back, but to berate him about his adultery. Instead, she takes out her anger on the hooker, Cynthia, and other clients. Ironically, however, while Mrs. Wilhelm is forced to live on in humiliation, Lam shows the contrasting idea that her husband died in ecstasy. It is through this comparison that the reader can fully comprehend Lam’s intention with this piece; for the dead, it’s over, but it is the living that are subjected to continued pain of the heart.
The next story, An Insistent Tide, gives insight into the often taken-for-granted act of childbirth. Lam presents the seemingly simplistic and common act of labour as complicated, challenging, and realistic, contrary to the conceptions of society. Janice’s husband Oliver gets to experience how ‘ignorance is bliss.’ Lam continually places phone calls from Oliver through the passage, where he asks about unimportant things like video cameras, and if he should pick up Janice’s baby books at the house (when he arrives in Toronto, by car, from New York). Oliver has no comprehension of the magnitude of Janice’s prospective caesarian section, and therefore, is joyously content to putter onward to Toronto. Janice on the other hand, is facing some of the most blood-curdling challenges of her life. Janice balances between her real life, and a dream state, where a tide is slowly swallowing her whole. The tide reflects Janice’s contractions, the female’s natural and normal prelude to birth, however in this crucial case they could bring on the death of both mother and child. In the dream world, the drowning of Janice, and in the real world, the suffocation of her baby. Faced with the prospect of losing her child, Janice makes the brave, or somewhat rash, decision to have the caesarian done with no anesthetic. Just as Janice realizes “the waves are going to crash over me, drown me. Why can’t I move?” (232) she is saved by Dr. Ming when the procedure ends, and she “turned, and glimpsed the exultant blood-smeared child” (233). The reader is left with great relief knowing that both Janice and her baby survived. Still, the reader is also haunted by Lam’s gory and evocative description of child birth.
The other interesting point about An Insistent Tide is that it brings Ming back into focus. For some time now, she has been ignored in the novel. Though this story does not give much insight into her character, we see her working well with patients (contrary to her previous tart portrayal), and learn that she is now an obstetrician. This gives me the idea that the last three stories will provide closure on the connected lives of Ming, Fitzgerald and Chen.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Reading Response #2
Code Clock shifts the focus from Ming and Fitzgerald’s relationship to Fitz’s career as a physician, and gives more insight into the life of a doctor. The story begins with Fitz heading towards a code blue in the hospital, and continues with him trying to resuscitate the patient, Mr. Dizon. Fitz continues, in vain, to try to save the patient, knowing it had been far more than ten minutes before the code blue was called. This passage highlights Fitz nervousness about treating Mr. Dizon, as he consistently repeats “I’m comfortable. I am” (94) to himself. However, it also notes how devoted a doctor is to his occupation, and the lengths one will go to save the life of one person. If nothing else, Code Clock presents the daily paradox faced by doctors - when to quit. This idea reflects back to the previous struggles of Ming and Fitz, questioning if they gave up on their relationship at the right time, or if they didn’t try hard enough.
The next short story takes the cynosure from Ming and Fitz and now gives background on Chen, Ming’s lab partner and new romantic interest. In A Long Migration, Chen faces conflict between the wishes of his father, and what he knows is right. This reincarnates the struggle that Ming faced between knowledge and emotion, and thus provides a common character trait between Chen and Ming. Lam presents an interesting idea about doctors, and underlines the struggles a physician faces when treating patients they have a pre-existing relationship with.
Interestingly, Yeh Yeh (Chen’s father) is presented in contrasting ways. In the present, he is portrayed as feeble, ill, struggling man. However, this is intermixed with knowledge of Yeh Yeh during his prime, in which he gambled, drank, slept with hundreds of women and lived a lavish life of excess. This demonstrates strong ideas about gluttony, and subtly implies that karma has a powerful effect on life.
Short story number six, Winston, has most definitely been my favourite thus far. The compelling tale of Sri’s dealings with a patient suffering from psychosis is truly riveting. I can say with great confidence that is one of the best short stories I have read in my life time. The themes of reality and trust are presented so artfully and beautifully, especially for a young author. Winston is clearly insane. He is constantly suspicious of everyone and everything, assuming there is some master plan to destroy him. However, he primarily blames his neighbour, Adrienne, of poisoning him at a party to rape him. This story evidently is ludicrous. However, while treating Winston, Sri has moments in which be believes there could be some sort of drug that could cause Winston’s symptoms. Sri continually questions his supervisor, Dr. Miniadis about this issue. Her responses are often cryptic, yet profound. At first, she tells Sri “You’ve heard that the sound of hoofbeats implies the presence of horses. It is true that we must look carefully for zebras, but for the most part we expect to find horses” (125). When Sri argues that the patient insists of poison tests, she replies “Naturally. Zebras. Always, people are drawn to zebras” (126). This delightful metaphor exposes that for the most part, what is obvious is correct, however, there is the brief chance that it is something unusual. Doctor’s must search for the unusual, even if in vain. Days later, Sri still is unsure about Winston, and again speaks with Miniadis. “Tell me, Dr. Sri, if you woke up one day and saw a purple bird in your room, what would you think? . . . What if you called someone to help you with the bird - to remove it - but then it was gone. What would they think? . . . There are no purple birds native to Toronto” (152-153). Sri continually disputes this, however, he accepts his enigmatic answer and continues on. Later, he goes to check on Winston in his home, where he meets Adrienne. She offers him tea, but Sri is reluctant to drink, still considering the possibility of Winston being poisoned by the woman. After finally sipping the tea, Sri exclaims to Adrienne, “Um... was that a purple bird? Just out the window?” (162).
The next short story takes the cynosure from Ming and Fitz and now gives background on Chen, Ming’s lab partner and new romantic interest. In A Long Migration, Chen faces conflict between the wishes of his father, and what he knows is right. This reincarnates the struggle that Ming faced between knowledge and emotion, and thus provides a common character trait between Chen and Ming. Lam presents an interesting idea about doctors, and underlines the struggles a physician faces when treating patients they have a pre-existing relationship with.
Interestingly, Yeh Yeh (Chen’s father) is presented in contrasting ways. In the present, he is portrayed as feeble, ill, struggling man. However, this is intermixed with knowledge of Yeh Yeh during his prime, in which he gambled, drank, slept with hundreds of women and lived a lavish life of excess. This demonstrates strong ideas about gluttony, and subtly implies that karma has a powerful effect on life.
Short story number six, Winston, has most definitely been my favourite thus far. The compelling tale of Sri’s dealings with a patient suffering from psychosis is truly riveting. I can say with great confidence that is one of the best short stories I have read in my life time. The themes of reality and trust are presented so artfully and beautifully, especially for a young author. Winston is clearly insane. He is constantly suspicious of everyone and everything, assuming there is some master plan to destroy him. However, he primarily blames his neighbour, Adrienne, of poisoning him at a party to rape him. This story evidently is ludicrous. However, while treating Winston, Sri has moments in which be believes there could be some sort of drug that could cause Winston’s symptoms. Sri continually questions his supervisor, Dr. Miniadis about this issue. Her responses are often cryptic, yet profound. At first, she tells Sri “You’ve heard that the sound of hoofbeats implies the presence of horses. It is true that we must look carefully for zebras, but for the most part we expect to find horses” (125). When Sri argues that the patient insists of poison tests, she replies “Naturally. Zebras. Always, people are drawn to zebras” (126). This delightful metaphor exposes that for the most part, what is obvious is correct, however, there is the brief chance that it is something unusual. Doctor’s must search for the unusual, even if in vain. Days later, Sri still is unsure about Winston, and again speaks with Miniadis. “Tell me, Dr. Sri, if you woke up one day and saw a purple bird in your room, what would you think? . . . What if you called someone to help you with the bird - to remove it - but then it was gone. What would they think? . . . There are no purple birds native to Toronto” (152-153). Sri continually disputes this, however, he accepts his enigmatic answer and continues on. Later, he goes to check on Winston in his home, where he meets Adrienne. She offers him tea, but Sri is reluctant to drink, still considering the possibility of Winston being poisoned by the woman. After finally sipping the tea, Sri exclaims to Adrienne, “Um... was that a purple bird? Just out the window?” (162).
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Reading Response #1
Only a few pages into Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam, I was immediately engrossed into the high-stress, high-stakes novel. Straightaway I found myself captivated and intrigued by Lam’s detailed, yet elegant, imagery and descriptions. I was able to identify with many aspects of the first story, How To Get Into Medical School, Part I, especially the examination that takes place at the very beginning. Lam’s illustration of snow stung noses, buzzing lamps, rummaging for pens, and the “minimum requisite distance” (2) between desks instantly transported me to a tense exam room, which allowed me to emphasize with both the struggling Fitzgerald, and the excelling Ming. The relationship between Ming and Fitz is quickly established as a close, strictly platonic friendship, that longs to become something more. Ming’s rigid education and success based upbringing leads her to resist Fitzgerald, fearing that her parents would reject him for being white. Ming is now faces an internal struggle as she is forced into choosing between the realistic idea of what she should do, and the romantic dream of what she wants. We are presented with what we believe to be Ming’s answer, when she calls Fitz and exclaims, “You’ve been honest, so I should be. I am attracted to you, and now that we both understand this problem, we shouldn’t study together or even see each other” (12). The development of the seemingly, stereotypical female Asian Ming continues, as she balances her medical school interviews and reluctantly tutoring Fitz. Lam however, adds a new and unexpected layer to Ming, by revealing an incestuous relationship she had with her cousin and tutor, Karl, while in high school. Through the description, Lam masterfully inserts allusion and symbolism, culminating with the profound line, “when he slid the condom off, it looked exactly like a snake shedding its skin” (28). Snakes, used in the medical symbol, represent revival, and the shedding of one skin for a new one. This moment triggers the rebirth of Ming, and a drastic change in her characterization. The reader’s and Fitz’s opinion of Ming is fully shattered when she declares, “You thought I was so perfect” (29).
The next story, Take All of Murphy, fast forwards Ming’s life, where she is now in anatomy class at medical school in Toronto, with her partners Sri and Chen. This section is primarily an expansion of Ming’s character. The reader is given insight into her sterile, textbook methods, as she constantly contradicts Sri’s sanctimoniousness. Throughout this passage, the group is dissecting their cadaver - Murphy. This act is paralleled through a reference to the bible, Mark 16, in which Jesus’ body is cleaned and prepared with spices. Sri paraphrases this story, and provides the true meaning to Take All of Murphy when he tells Chen and Ming (while speaking of Mark 16), “Don’t be scared, says the shining angel who’s there. Jesus has rise, so tell the disciples that he will comfort and lead them . . . [Jesus] says that his followers will be healers by putting their hands on people” (51-52) - doctors.
How To Get Into Medical School, Part II contains the break-up of Ming and Fitz. Fitz is unable to let go, and his true devotion and infatuation with Ming is exposed. Ming on the other hand, fully rejects Fitz, ignoring his calls, and letters. Having been accepted to med school at the University of Toronto also, Fitz is desperate to be close to Ming. The two have a dramatic confrontation, and it seems as though their relationship is finished forever, painting the duo as start-crossed lovers. Though Ming seems reluctantly comfortable with never seeing Fitz again, “he felt a lingering temptation to turn around and gaze at Ming, close or distant, just to prove that he could do it and it would be okay, but he decided not to” (88). Evidently, Fitzgerald still cannot let go of Ming, and I suspect their relationship will be highlighted again in future stories.
The next story, Take All of Murphy, fast forwards Ming’s life, where she is now in anatomy class at medical school in Toronto, with her partners Sri and Chen. This section is primarily an expansion of Ming’s character. The reader is given insight into her sterile, textbook methods, as she constantly contradicts Sri’s sanctimoniousness. Throughout this passage, the group is dissecting their cadaver - Murphy. This act is paralleled through a reference to the bible, Mark 16, in which Jesus’ body is cleaned and prepared with spices. Sri paraphrases this story, and provides the true meaning to Take All of Murphy when he tells Chen and Ming (while speaking of Mark 16), “Don’t be scared, says the shining angel who’s there. Jesus has rise, so tell the disciples that he will comfort and lead them . . . [Jesus] says that his followers will be healers by putting their hands on people” (51-52) - doctors.
How To Get Into Medical School, Part II contains the break-up of Ming and Fitz. Fitz is unable to let go, and his true devotion and infatuation with Ming is exposed. Ming on the other hand, fully rejects Fitz, ignoring his calls, and letters. Having been accepted to med school at the University of Toronto also, Fitz is desperate to be close to Ming. The two have a dramatic confrontation, and it seems as though their relationship is finished forever, painting the duo as start-crossed lovers. Though Ming seems reluctantly comfortable with never seeing Fitz again, “he felt a lingering temptation to turn around and gaze at Ming, close or distant, just to prove that he could do it and it would be okay, but he decided not to” (88). Evidently, Fitzgerald still cannot let go of Ming, and I suspect their relationship will be highlighted again in future stories.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
